The Georgia legislative session begins in January of every year and typically ends in April. What happens in these sessions affects every citizen in Georgia. Yet, most Georgian citizens don’t know how to invoke their rights with the law-making process and make their voices heard. It is one of their most important civic duties.

“ All government, of right, originates with the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole. Public officers are the trustees and servants of the people and are at all times amenable to them. ” (Georgia State Constitution 2019)

Citizens should know the answers to these questions to get involved with the law-making process.

What is the difference between a bill and a law?

A bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing law.

A law is a bill that has been approved by the Georgia legislature and then approved by the governor.

A bill becomes law.

How do bills get proposed and who proposes them?

A bill is typically proposed by a member of the Georgia General Assembly. (The Georgia Assembly includes members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.)

The senator or representative who introduces the bill is known as the sponsor. A bill can also have several co-sponsors, who are supportive of the bill.

The Governor can also propose legislation, but his proposed legislation will still have to go through the assembly.

State agencies and departments can introduce bills that relate to their duties.

Additionally, citizens and interest groups can lobby legislators to propose bills. (Lobby means to try to influence the votes members of a legislative body.)

How can I find out what bills or laws are being proposed by Georgia legislators?

In Georgia we have a website legis.ga.gov. where bills can be tracked (along with other information). That is the Georgia Assembly website. On that website you can track bills by keyword, number, or sponsor. You can also track the major upcoming legislative events on this website, with their dates and location.

You can also search for the archived bills on legis.ga.gov. Additionally, you can also follow media or interest groups that have been highlighting a bill of interest.

How can I contact my representative or senator to voice my opinions about proposed bills?

Every representative and senator have a website that will give information on how to contact them. They will provide their phone number, email and mailing address. Most importantly, you can go to the Capitol and meet them in person.

Representatives and senators have local offices where you can schedule an appointment, or they may conduct a town hall where you can talk to them and ask questions.

What is the process to pass a bill in Georgia?

The bill is introduced in the house or the senate and the bill goes into what the we call the hopper. The summary of the bill is read on the floor of the chamber, and the head of the chamber assigns it to a committee.

The committee then studies it, may have hearings where the public can support or oppose the bill, and eventually votes the bill up or down.

The committee can also avoid a vote and effectively kill a bill.

If the bill goes through the committee, then it goes to the full floor for debate. If it was initiated in the house, it will go to the house floor and if it was originated in the senate, it will go to the senate floor.

If the bill passes the first chamber and it is before the first crossover date, it goes to the other chamber for the same process. (Cross over is the 20^th day of the legislative session. Cross over is the date in which half of the assembly session is up.)

(A chamber refers to either the house or senate meeting place.)

The bill will go through the same process of getting read, going to a committee. Then it will go for a vote with the full chamber.

Bills can cross over anytime, but if they do not cross over by cross over date, they die.

The Governor’s Role in Legislation

If the bill passes both chambers, it goes to the Governor for approval. The Governor can approve the bill and it becomes law. He or she can veto the bill and the assembly can potentially override it with 2/3 vote of the assembly.

If the Governor does nothing, the bill becomes law without a signature.

The Governor can put influence on the bills as they go through the process.

The Governor has liaisons who relay feedback as the bill goes through the process of the two chambers. After getting feedback, the Governor can influence the lawmakers through the governor liaisons.

If You Want to Learn More or Get Involved

There are other more unique ways for bills to become law, beyond the scope of this article.

During the legislative session, there will be hearings about bills as they come up for debate or vote. Citizens are usually allowed to attend these meetings and make comments.

We will keep the legislative session meeting schedule updated on our website.

If you have more questions or want to get involved, click the below.  Someone will get back to you promptly.

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